Well fuck.... 2014 is coming to a close. 2014 started off shitty for Papa. A bad overuse knee injury followed by 2 stress fractures in both knee caps (at different times). Papa was sad, lonely, and generally grumpy. And then something fucking amazing happened.

Ok fuck it... i'm sick of talking in the third person. its creepy. Papa WhippAss is a bit like Santa Claus, or The Easter Bunny, or the Tooth Fairy. 100% real. Try telling a 4 year old that Santa Claus isn't real. He'll look you in the face like your a complete idiot. So i'm Papa WhippAss, and at times others represent him, and at times he's just this cute lovable little dude that hangs out on your visor or singlet while your crush dirt underfoot. So where the hell was I?

Oh right... I don't know how I met Kat, but somehow I did. And we had this love child (sorry Jun) and named it Trail WhippAss... and fuck everything got better from then.

In 2014 we didn't just start a running team, or a community... we started a family. A family of dirty, foul mouthed, outdoor loving, trail running people. A family that all year long had each others backs.

Our members did fucking amazing things this past year. If this was a normal running club right now I would be writing about the top 10 performances of 2014, or giving out end of year awards... but thats not what we do. We recognize everybody achievements, everybody's goals the same. And holy fuck... we did a lot of great things. So instead lets all pat ourselves on the back for a great year and maybe open up a bottle of champaign and rather than pour it into dainty crystal glasses lets just chug the whole fucking bottle and then see who can burp the loudest.

I know it sounds cheesy but most of you i've just gotten to know over the past year. To all of you who head out to the trails and mountains proudly representing Trail WhippAss you make me so happy and I truly love you all. (To those of you that don't yet...get a fucking singlet or a visor. Its easy! And in 2015 your going to want to earn a Buckle or your going to look like a dufus at the next party)

I want to share one moment with you all. March 23rd 2014, my 29th birthday. It was a great day where we celebrated the day that I entered this world and said, "Fuck, Shit, Fuck." I woke up to see tons of photos from the day before when Trail WhippAss singlets first hit the wild at Badwater Cape Fear, and then I drove out to NJ Trail Series Ultra Fest and saw even more Trail WhippAss Singlets in the wild. At the time, I sort of thought it was a funny joke but it made my heart glow with pride. And then it caught on, and holy fuck.... my heart burns for all of you. (Check out the photos below of the FIRST weekend Trail WhippAss singlets hit the trails)

So seriously, from the bottom of my little trail running heart... thank you for becoming part of this family and I am so excited for more fun times with all of you (and new people) in 2015.

Sincerely,

- That Little Blue Dude On Your Singlet

Lastly I asked people to submit their Goals for 2015. Here they are below. Lets all help each other crush these.

Dylan "Papa" Armajani: Finish Superior 100.

Ryan Schannauer: Complete a 5k Cartwheeling

Kenneth Tom: Improve his time at an intimate, invitation only 60k run around a Cul De Sac of a good friends home... (And run a 50 Miler... Papa is making this Kens Goal)

Stephen Bandfield: Wants to not suck at running technical downhill and get through a race with altitude and not Die..maybe one in Utah...

Jeff Consalvo: Wants to run 50 miles in Vegas in February.

Michael Korol: Wants to run 400+ days at Flushing Meadow Park, Queens in April and not get sick!

Jurgen Englerth: Run TGNY 100, and stay 6 years old and healthy.

Sarah Alexandra Deikun: Run around the island of Oahu which is 124 miles. And stay healthy and get stronger!

Juliette Ciaccia: Wants to put her big girl panties on and go to the doctor. And she wants to get a PR at Rock The Ridge 50, and complete a 100 miler. And she wants to cheer for lots of people!

Matt Miller: Wants to finish a 100 miler!

Luis Miguel Callao: Wants to get his Western States 100 Buckle

Laura Crawford: Wants to make it to the finish of the Bear Mountain Marathon and PR at the NYC Half.

Yevgeniy Kislov: Wants to complete Rock The Ridge 50. Do a dual Spartan Trifecta (with ultra beast). Convince my wife that running 25 miles first day,25 miles second day and 31 miles third day is a good idea. To get a good bike to start training for my first (and probably last) triathlon (Iron Man), and to get into the pool more than once a week.

Charles Patrick Michael Kennedy: Wants to read 12 great new books.

Jacqueline Choi: Would like to run a sub 22 hour race at Umstead 100.

Jun Bermudez: Would like to finish every race he signed up for without throwing up.

Kat Bermudez: Would like to sign up, show up, and finish a 100 miler.

Shannon O'Bier: Would like to run a sub 4 hour marathon, and complete her first 50 mile and 24 hour race! And also run back to back marathons or ultras!

Jim Pease: Would like to run 150 miles in 72 hours at 3 Days at the Fair. And stay injury free.

Michael Daigeaun: Would like to Finish 100M without a 12 hour break (hopefully even under 15 hr), Sub 6 hour - 50 Miler and a sub 7:20 - 100K

Jacqueline Michelle: Would like to stay in shape while studying for hours and hours in nursing school!

Bob Harris: Would like to Run/Hike the 88 miles of NY AT, 75 miles of the SRT on his own time and check out badass trails in places he's never been! He also would like to PR at Rock The Ridge and Drink Beer.

Matthew Imberman: Would like ton BQ in March, make it through Bear and then Manitous revenge in decent shape, get better at climbing

Paul Kentor: Would like to Figure out how to swim while injured. They say the open water swimmers are like trail runners...

Heather Simon: Would like to Succeed in completing my first 100 mile race at Rocky Raccoon and a few months later run a 95 mile race through the challenging hills and mountains of Scotland! "Of course, my main goal is to stay healthy and injury free and to continue to have fun with all of my awesome trail running buddies!"

Sarah Topping: Would like to finish her first 100 miler (Umstead) and she wants to run Rock The Ridge and finish in fucking daylight. "I mean, seriously. I want to finish that run without a fucking headlamp on."

Todd Jennings: Would like to direct (or co-direct) no less than 10 successful races. Some will be trail/ultra, and some will be wine/beer or community races. He also would like simply to run a lot more than he did in 2014. "It would be nice to to at least run 1500 miles - not a lot compared to most of you, I know, but it's a start. Most (2/3rds) of the 1500 should be on trails."

Rob Waller: Would like to Finish The North Face Endurance Challenge NY 50k and the Spartan Ultra Beast VT, also working on a new job in lighting that works for his fall school schedule and gives him time to run like a motherfucker!